water « TopVeg – growing veg,fruit&herbs

April 5, 2009

Watering Vegetables

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: water, watering — TopVeg @ 11:10 pm

The Science of Watering Vegetables
Watering the vegetable garden is not a simple task. Firstly the needs of the plant must be considered. Then the soil properties must be understood.
1. The plant needs:
a. Water
*Water enters the plant at the roots, & is sucked up to the top of the plant.
The water is used:

    * by every cell in the plant for respiration.
    * to convert sunlight into food.
    * for transpiration – when water evaporates through the leaves & is lost.

Transpiration (& water loss) increases:

* in hot weather because water evaporates faster at high temperatures. The plant does compensate by closing the stomata (little holes through which the water is lost) – even so, more water is lost & the plant wilts.
* in windy weather because the evaporated moisture is blown into the atmosphere, away from the plant, allowing more water to evaporate & fill the space. This is rather like washing drying quicker on a windy day.

*b. Oxygen
Oxygen is used by every cell in the plant for respiration.
Oxygen enters the plant through the leaves & also through the roots.
The roots take oxygen from the air spaces in the soil. If soil is waterlogged, it is full of water and all the air including oxygen has been squeezed out. So the roots & then the whole plant will die.

*2. Soil properties
Soil is made up of lots of tiny mineral particles which hang together to make crumbs.

� Water clings to the soil particles, like drops hanging on a glass window.

� In the gaps, between the water coated particles, are pockets of air.

The plant roots wiggle between the crumbs and take up the water and oxygen. The water droplet, or film, around the soil will get thinner as the plant takes up the water, unless more water is added to the soil by rain or irrigation.

There are different textures of soil.
*Clay soil is made up of very tiny particles which cling together.

� It is hard to penetrate & heavy. If it is trodden down it will squash into an even more impenetratable lump.

� There will be very few spaces for air, & water will not move through it quickly

*Sandy soil is made up of large particles.

� It is light, with lots of air spaces & water rushes through it.

� Sandy soil will dry out quickly, because the large particles cannot hold onto much water.

*The gardener has to get to know how the soil in their garden relates to water .

� Every garden has its own soil & the gardener has to work with it.

    * Is it clay or sand, or what combination of the two?
    * How does the garden soil look when it is dry?
    * How does the garden soil feel when it is dry?

� Clay soil often feels cold & damp, even though it is dry.

� Sandy soil looks dry, when it is actually quite damp. Dig down a few inches with your hands, feel the soil and look at it.

� Then dig down with a spade to a foot.

� Study the soil, & the surrounding plants.

� Do the plants look happy, or are they thirsty. The plants will reflect the water available in the soil.

� It takes time for the gardener to get to know their own soil characteristics.

To understand the best way to water the vegetable garden, firstly the needs of the plant must be considered, then the soil properties must be understood.

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January 26, 2009

Watering Cans for the Vegetable Grower

Filed under: vegetable gardening — Tags: tool, water, watering can — TopVeg @ 5:59 am

A carefully chosen watering can will add to the enjoyment of growing your own vegetables.

The watering can should be:

well balanced, easy to handle, durable, long lasting, value for money, & decorative

watering can

A watering can needs:

* a handle in a balanced position – to hold when carrying the can
without spillage
* a handle in a ‘backward’ position – to hold when pouring from the rose
* a removable rose so that the can may be used without a rose and so that the rose can be cleared when blocked (the rose is the perforated attachment at the end of the spout). Roses can be either round or oval. The shape and angle of the rose will determine the force of the stream of water from the rose.
* a spout which is slightly higher than the height of the body of
the can to allow the watering can to be filled to the brim.

Watering cans may be made of:

galvanized iron (heavy, more expensive, longer lasting, may rust)

plastic – light, cheap and durable . Plastic has smoother edges

& is therefore less likely to bruise your legs.

Specifications of watering cans

*1. Spouts-

Long spouted ( long reach) cans are useful to reach to the back of the vegetable garden, or if you are going to be spraying seedlings with finer sprayheads.

Shorter spouted cans are suitable for general watering jobs around the garden especially pot watering and spraying established plants. They are also easier to store.

Curved spouts have been designed especially for accurate spot-on watering of individual plants & plant pots

*2. Size – Two smaller watering cans, instead of one big one, are
easier to carry. Water is heavy. Carrying two smaller cans distributes
the weight more evenly as there is a can in each hand.

*3. Colour – have different coloured cans to avoid the risk of
contamination with weedkillers. Have one red plastic watering can for
soluble fertilizers or weed killers; plastic because some chemicals
should not be used in galvanised watering cans. A green watering can be kept for pure water

*4. Shape – Narrow-profile rectangular watering cans may be held closer to the body than round ones, allowing better posture and causing less strain for the gardener.

Click this link to buy a watering can from Thompson & Morgan.

Haws Watering Cans are generally accepted as being the best watering cans you can buy. These make a perfect present for the gardener.

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April 17, 2007

How often to water

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: water — TopVeg @ 3:14 pm

*Frequency of watering, or how often to water, depends on:

*the age of the plant

*Older plants will have well developed roots, usually quite deep, which
can reach out and obtain soil water. So older plants do not need
watering as often as younger plants.

*Seedlings and young plants will have fewer, shorter roots and will need
frequent watering, usually daily, but in hot weather they may need twice
daily watering.

* soil type

*Different types take different times for the soil to go from full
capacity to water deficient. Sandy soils will need watering more often
than clay soils

*the weather

*If there is plenty of rain the soil will not need extra water. A rain
gauge will indicate how much water has fallen as rain.

*If there is a drought, the garden will need watering before the soil
becomes water deficit, & plants wilt.

*If it is very hot, the plants and the soil will loose more water into
the atmosphere, & so need watering more often.

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Where, When and How to Water

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: droplet, water — TopVeg @ 3:05 pm

How much water to apply depends on

the size of the plant – the larger the plant the more it will need
the sort of leaf – different types of vegetables require different amounts. Runner beans like a lot of water, sweetcorn & carrots rarely need watering.
the type of soil – sandy soils need more water than clay
soil capacity – it is very important to give enough water to bring the soil up to full
capacity, but not to overwater & make the soil waterlogged. The little & often approach is bad because the soil at the top will be dampened, but the roots deeper down will be in soil which has a deficit. These roots will die & surface roots will be encouraged
which will dry out in the sun & not be able to use the soil nutrients to the full.

Where to water – The leaves form a canopy which usually covers the
width of the root ball. It is thus sensible to water an area which is
the same size as the leaf canopy. This means that the water is being
placed directly over the root area.

Place the water under the canopy, so the leaves are not wet. This will:

prevent the wet leaves from being scorched by the sun
keep the water out of direct sunlight, and so reduce evaporation.

When to water
Watering in early morning means that the water has time to soak into the
soil before the sun gets hot enough to evaporate it.

Watering at night results in the leaves remaining damp. Damp leaves
will be vulnerable to fungal attack, which will weaken the plant.
Application methods. Small droplet size:

    * *prevents damage to leaves
    * *avoids washing small seedlings out of the soil
    * *prevents damage to soil structure

*If a heavy stream of water is poured onto clay soils, a pan (thick
crust) is produced, which will reduce drainage in the future & stop
water getting away. The pan forms cracks in hot weather which exposes &
damages the roots.

*The droplet size can be varied by attaching a rose to the end of the
watering can spout. The rose will have holes of a particular size. The
smaller the holes, the smaller the droplet size.

Comments (2)

Drainage in the Vegetable Garden

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: drainage, soil, water — TopVeg @ 3:01 pm

Drainage is the passage of water through the soil. The drainage in the
vegetable garden will differ from one soil type to another. Sandy soils
drain quickly, clay soils drain slowly.

Gardeners should do everything possible to help drainage. If the
drainage is restricted, the water will not be able to get away. Water
will collect on the surface of the soil. The fruit and vegetables will
die and the soil structure will be ruined. This means that it will be
difficult to create a seedbed in the future.

To encourage drainage in the kitchen garden:

    * avoid walking on the garden, particularly when wet. Make narrow
      beds, which can be worked from the path. Use a wooden plank to
      stand on if on the bed.
    * keep drains clear and free, so that they take water away
    * do not overwater

*The water holding capacity of the soil is the ability to hold the
water in the soil. It is held by surface tension around the soil
particles. The water holding capacity of each soil will vary. Sand is
not able to hang onto the water as easily as the clay. So sandy soil
drains easily & will need watering more often.
If the gardener understands his own soil he will know when it needs more
water to bring it back to its full capacity. He will be able to
recognise the state of the soil by the colour, texture and feel of the soil.

Fruit and vegetables need a constant supply of water, so that they can
continue to grow happily. If water becomes short (below full capacity),
the plants will become stressed, growth will slow down and the plants
will be more susceptible to disease

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April 16, 2007

Preparing to Plant Seeds

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: plant, seed, sow, water — TopVeg @ 3:22 pm

The soil must be prepared before seeds are planted. The prepared soil
is called a seed bed.

The vegetable seedbed should be:

    * *level
    * *made up of fine particles
    * *even – the same all over, & to a depth of 2 or 3 inches

rake-seed-bed

rake-soil

Use a rake to get an even depth of fine soil so that the seeds can be
planted shallow.
Stand on a board, placed over the adjacent ground, to protect the soil
from being trampled down.

firm-soil-down

*Mark the row with a stick at either end of the row, & stretch a string
between the two sticks to give a straight line to work under.

*Make a shallow trench by dragging a blunt object along the line of the
string (check the recommended depth on the seed packet).

*Scatter the seeds thinly along the open trench using finger & thumb.

*Cover the seeds with soil

*Press the soil down. A rake can be used to gently firm the soil down,
so that the vegetable seed is in close contact with the soil particles.

firm-in-seed

*Label the seed row, recording the type, variety & date.

water-seeds-in

Water the vegetables seeds in

    * *so that the seed bed is wet to a depth of 3 inches.
    * *use small droplets of water, so that the soil is not puddled &
      the seeds not washed out of the row.

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March 23, 2007

Collect rainwater for the garden

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: rain, water — TopVeg @ 11:23 am

Most rain water falls in the winter, so now is the time to collect it.
As our climate changes & an increasing proportion of rain falls in
winter, it is becoming cost effective to invest in water storage.

Rainwater can be collected, and stored in tubs and other containers,
from the roof of dwellings, garages, greenhouses etc..
Check your local water authority website as they often have offers on
water butts.
Invest in a watering can, it uses less water than a hose.
If you prefer to use a hosepipe, fit a trigger nozzle to control the flow.
Mulches such as wood chips, bark and gravel help to prevent water
evaporation and also suppress weed growth, saving you both water and
time spent weeding.

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